Evolved node-B, spectrum access system (SAS) controller and method for communication in shared spectrum

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of an Evolved Node-B (eNB), Private Spectrum Access System (SAS) controller, and methods for communication in shared spectrum are generally described herein. In some cases, primary usage of the shared spectrum by incumbent devices may be prioritized over secondary usage of the shared spectrum. The eNB may receive, from the Private SAS controller, a configuration message that allocates, to the eNB, a first channel included in the shared spectrum for secondary usage by the eNB. The eNB may further receive, from the Private SAS controller, a request that the eNB determine an interference measurement and may send the interference measurement to the Private SAS controller. The measurement may be based on an output transmit power used for transmission by the eNB in the shared spectrum.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a U.S. National Stage Filing under 35 U.S.C. 371from International Application No. PCT/US2015/065963, filed Dec. 16,2015 and published in English as WO 2016/195751 on Dec. 8, 2016, whichclaims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/168,467, filed May 29, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relateto wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation PartnershipProject) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, 3GPP LTE-A(LTE Advanced) networks, and 3GPP LTE-Advanced Pro networks, althoughthe scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. Someembodiments relate to primary and secondary usage of spectrum, such asshared spectrum. Some embodiments relate to spectrum access policies forshared spectrum. Some embodiments relate to Shared Access System (SAS)controllers and systems.

BACKGROUND

A wireless network may support communication with mobile devices forservices such as voice, data and others. In some cases, throughput orcapacity demands for such services may provide challenges for thenetwork. As an example, a large number of mobile devices may beconnected to the network. As another example, high data rates may bedesired by some of the mobile devices connected to the network. In somecases, a limited amount of available spectrum may be available, and thenetwork may be unable to support the mobile devices in that spectrum.Accordingly, there is a general need for methods and systems of enablingcommunication for the mobile devices in these and other scenarios.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a 3GPP network in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of spectrum sharing in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example network for a Licensed Shared Access (LSA)arrangement and an example network for a Spectrum Access System (SAS)arrangement in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example network architecture that includes a SAShierarchy in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates example block diagrams for a Private SAS controllerand a Public SAS controller in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of a method of communication in sharedspectrum in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of another method of communication inshared spectrum in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates a signal flow diagram for an example ofcommunication in shared spectrum in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 13 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 14 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 15 illustrates another example network architecture that includesan LSA hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustratespecific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practicethem. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodimentsmay be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalentsof those claims.

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a 3GPP network in accordance with someembodiments. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to theexample 3GPP network shown in FIG. 1, as other networks may be used insome embodiments. As an example, a Fifth Generation (5G) network may beused in some cases. Such networks may or may not include some or all ofthe components shown in FIG. 1, and may include additional componentsand/or alternative components in some cases.

The network comprises a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., as depicted,the E-UTRAN or evolved universal terrestrial radio access network) 100and the core network 120 (e.g., shown as an evolved packet core (EPC))coupled together through an S1 interface 115. For convenience andbrevity sake, only a portion of the core network 120, as well as the RAN100, is shown.

The core network 120 includes a mobility management entity (MME) 122, aserving gateway (serving GW) 124, and packet data network gateway (PDNGW) 126. The RAN 100 includes Evolved Node-B's (cNBs) 104 (which mayoperate as base stations) for communicating with User Equipment (UE)102. The eNBs 104 may include macro eNBs and low power (LP) eNBs. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the eNB 104 may transmit data messagesto the UE 102 and may receive data messages from the UE 102. The datamessages may be exchanged in shared spectrum, in some embodiments. Theseembodiments will be described in more detail below.

The MME 122 is similar in function to the control plane of legacyServing GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN). The MME 122 manages mobility aspectsin access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management.The serving GW 124 terminates the interface toward the RAN 100, androutes data packets between the RAN 100 and the core network 120. Inaddition, it may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-eNBhandovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Otherresponsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policyenforcement. The serving GW 124 and the MME 122 may be implemented inone physical node or separate physical nodes. The PDN GW 126 terminatesan SGi interface toward the packet data network (PDN). The PDN GW 126routes data packets between the EPC 120 and the external PDN, and may bea key node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. It mayalso provide an anchor point for mobility with non-LTE accesses. Theexternal PDN can be any kind of IP network, as well as an IP MultimediaSubsystem (IMS) domain. The PDN GW 126 and the serving GW 124 may beimplemented in one physical node or separated physical nodes.

The eNBs 104 (which may be macro, micro, small-cell or any other AccessPoint type) terminate the air interface protocol and may be the firstpoint of contact for a UE 102. In some embodiments, an eNB 104 mayfulfill various logical functions for the RAN 100 including but notlimited to RNC (radio network controller functions) such as radio bearermanagement, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management anddata packet scheduling, and mobility management. In accordance withembodiments, UEs 102 may be configured to communicate OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with an eNB104 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with anOrthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communicationtechnique. The OFDM signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonalsubcarriers.

The S1 interface 115 is the interface that separates the RAN 100 and theEPC 120. It is split into two parts: the S1-U, which carries trafficdata between the eNBs 104 and the serving GW 124, and the S1-MME, whichis a signaling interface between the eNBs 104 and the MME 122. The X2interface is the interface between eNBs 104. The X2 interface comprisestwo parts, the X2-C and X2-U. The X2-C is the control plane interfacebetween the eNBs 104, while the X2-U is the user plane interface betweenthe eNBs 104.

With cellular networks, LP cells are typically used to extend coverageto indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to addnetwork capacity in areas with very dense phone usage, such as trainstations. As used herein, the term low power (LP) eNB refers to anysuitable relatively low power eNB for implementing a narrower cell(narrower than a macro cell) such as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Femtocell eNBs are typically provided by a mobile network operatorto its residential or enterprise customers. A femtocell is typically thesize of a residential gateway or smaller and generally connects to theuser's broadband line. Once plugged in, the femtocell connects to themobile operator's mobile network and provides extra coverage in a rangeof typically 30 to 50 meters for residential femtocells. Thus, a LP eNBmight be a femtocell eNB since it is coupled through the PDN GW 126.Similarly, a picocell is a wireless communication system typicallycovering a small area, such as in-building (offices, shopping malls,train stations, etc.), or more recently in-aircraft. A picocell eNB cangenerally connect through the X2 link to another eNB such as a macro eNBthrough its base station controller (BSC) functionality. Thus, LP eNBmay be implemented with a picocell eNB since it is coupled to a macroeNB via an X2 interface. Picocell eNBs or other LP eNBs may incorporatesome or all functionality of a macro eNB. In some cases, this may bereferred to as an access point base station or enterprise femtocell.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlinktransmissions from an eNB 104 to a UE 102, while uplink transmissionfrom the UE 102 to the eNB 104 may utilize similar techniques. The gridmay be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequencyresource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in eachslot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practicefor OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resourceallocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid correspond toone OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration ofthe resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radioframe. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted asa resource element (RE). Each resource grid comprises a number ofresource blocks (RBs), which describe the mapping of certain physicalchannels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises acollection of resource elements in the frequency domain and mayrepresent the smallest quanta of resources that currently can beallocated. There are several different physical downlink channels thatare conveyed using such resource blocks.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data andhigher-layer signaling to a UE 102 (FIG. 1). The physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH) carries information about the transport formatand resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among otherthings. It also informs the UE 102 about the transport format, resourceallocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) informationrelated to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling(e.g., assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 102within a cell) may be performed at the eNB 104 based on channel qualityinformation fed back from the UEs 102 to the eNB 104, and then thedownlink resource assignment information may be sent to a UE 102 on thecontrol channel (PDCCH) used for (assigned to) the UE 102.

The PDCCH uses CCEs (control channel elements) to convey the controlinformation. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCHcomplex-valued symbols are first organized into quadruplets, which arethen permuted using a sub-block inter-leaver for rate matching. EachPDCCH is transmitted using one or more of these control channel elements(CCEs), where each CCE corresponds to nine sets of four physicalresource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four QPSKsymbols are mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using oneor more CCEs, depending on the size of DCI and the channel condition.There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE withdifferent numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, orinclude an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electroniccircuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablehardware components that provide the described functionality. In someembodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functionsassociated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or moresoftware or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may includelogic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments describedherein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configuredhardware and/or software.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordancewith some embodiments. The machine 200 is an example machine upon whichany one or more of the techniques and/or methodologies discussed hereinmay be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 200 mayoperate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 200 may operatein the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both inserver-client network environments. In an example, the machine 200 mayact as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed)network environment. The machine 200 may be a UE 102, eNB 104, accesspoint (AP), station (STA), mobile device, base station, personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, anetwork router, switch or bridge, a controller and/or controller deviceor any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further,while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloudcomputing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer clusterconfigurations.

Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or anumber of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangibleentities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations andmay be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example,circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to externalentities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. Inan example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwareprocessors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g.,instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a modulethat operates to perform specified operations. In an example, thesoftware may reside on a machine readable medium. In an example, thesoftware, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causesthe hardware to perform the specified operations.

Accordingly, the term “module” is understood to encompass a tangibleentity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specificallyconfigured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily)configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or toperform part or all of any operation described herein. Consideringexamples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of themodules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example,where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may beconfigured as respective different modules at different times. Softwaremay accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, toconstitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitutea different module at a different instance of time.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 200 may include a hardware processor202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a mainmemory 204 and a static memory 206, some or all of which may communicatewith each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 208. The machine 200 mayfurther include a display unit 210, an alphanumeric input device 212(e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214(e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 210, input device 212and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The machine200 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 216, asignal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interfacedevice 220, and one or more sensors 221, such as a global positioningsystem (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. Themachine 200 may include an output controller 228, such as a serial(e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless(e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connectionto communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., aprinter, card reader, etc.).

The storage device 216 may include a machine readable medium 222 onwhich is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of thetechniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may alsoreside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204,within static memory 206, or within the hardware processor 202 duringexecution thereof by the machine 200. In an example, one or anycombination of the hardware processor 202, the main memory 204, thestatic memory 206, or the storage device 216 may constitute machinereadable media. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may beor may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

While the machine readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium,the term “machine readable medium” may include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers) configured to store the one or moreinstructions 224. The term “machine readable medium” may include anymedium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructionsfor execution by the machine 200 and that cause the machine 200 toperform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, orthat is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used byor associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readablemedium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical andmagnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include:non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g.,Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM andDVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may includenon-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machinereadable media may include machine readable media that is not atransitory propagating signal.

The instructions 224 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 226 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols(e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission controlprotocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet datanetwork (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellularnetworks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family ofstandards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a LongTerm Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P)networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 220may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, orphone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communicationsnetwork 226. In an example, the network interface device 220 may includea plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one ofsingle-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In someexamples, the network interface device 220 may wirelessly communicateusing Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine200, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of an Evolved Node-B (eNB) in accordancewith some embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, theeNB 300 may be a stationary non-mobile device. The eNB 300 may besuitable for use as an eNB 104 as depicted in FIG. 1. The eNB 300 mayinclude physical layer circuitry 302 and a transceiver 305, one or bothof which may enable transmission and reception of signals to and fromthe UE 102, other eNBs or other devices using one or more antennas 301.As an example, the physical layer circuitry 302 may perform variousencoding and decoding functions that may include formation of basebandsignals for transmission and decoding of received signals. As anotherexample, the transceiver 305 may perform various transmission andreception functions such as conversion of signals between a basebandrange and a Radio Frequency (RF) range. Accordingly, the physical layercircuitry 302 and the transceiver 305 may be separate components or maybe part of a combined component. In addition, some of the describedfunctionality related to transmission and reception of signals may beperformed by a combination that may include one, any or all of thephysical layer circuitry 302, the transceiver 305, and other componentsor layers. The eNB 300 may also include medium access control layer(MAC) circuitry 304 for controlling access to the wireless medium. TheeNB 300 may also include processing circuitry 306 and memory 308arranged to perform the operations described herein. The eNB 300 mayalso include one or more interfaces 310, which may enable communicationwith other components, including other eNBs 104 (FIG. 1), components inthe EPC 120 (FIG. 1) or other network components. In addition, theinterfaces 310 may enable communication with other components that maynot be shown in FIG. 1, including components external to the network.The interfaces 310 may be wired or wireless or a combination thereof. Itshould be noted that in some embodiments, an eNB or other base stationmay include some or all of the components shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG.3 or both.

The antennas 301 may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectionalantennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas,patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types ofantennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 301 may be effectivelyseparated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the differentchannel characteristics that may result.

In some embodiments, the eNB 300 and/or the UE 102 may be a mobiledevice and may be a portable wireless communication device, such as apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer withwireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, asmartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, adigital camera, an access point, a television, a wearable device such asa medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor,etc.), or other device that may receive and/or transmit informationwirelessly. In some embodiments, the UE 102 or eNB 300 may be configuredto operate in accordance with 3GPP standards, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect. Mobile devices or otherdevices in some embodiments may be configured to operate according toother protocols or standards, including IEEE 802.11 or other IEEEstandards. In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 300 or other device mayinclude one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memoryport, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor,speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCDscreen including a touch screen.

Although the eNB 300 is illustrated as having several separatefunctional elements, one or more of the functional elements may becombined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configuredelements, such as processing elements including digital signalprocessors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, someelements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) andcombinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing atleast the functions described herein. In some embodiments, thefunctional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on oneor more processing elements.

Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may beread and executed by at least one processor to perform the operationsdescribed herein. A computer-readable storage device may include anynon-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by amachine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storagedevice may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM),magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memorydevices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments mayinclude one or more processors and may be configured with instructionsstored on a computer-readable storage device.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by theeNB 300 may include various components of the eNB 300 as shown in FIG.3. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer tothe eNB 300 (or 104) may be applicable to an apparatus for an eNB.

In accordance with some embodiments, primary usage of shared spectrum byincumbent devices may be prioritized over secondary usage of the sharedspectrum. The eNB 104 may receive, from a Private SAS controller, aconfiguration message that allocates, to the eNB 104, a first channelincluded in the shared spectrum for secondary usage by the eNB 104. TheeNB 104 may further receive, from the Private SAS controller, a requestthat the eNB 104 determine an interference measurement and may send theinterference measurement to the Private SAS controller. The measurementmay be based on an output transmit power used for transmission by theeNB 104 in the shared spectrum. These embodiments will be described inmore detail below.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of spectrum sharing in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, shared spectrum may be used byand/or allocated to different devices based on a usage priority. In somecases, incumbent devices and/or systems, which may be referred to as“tier-1” or other, may use the shared spectrum with a highest priority.Examples of incumbent devices and/or systems include radar, military,government and/or other devices and/or systems, although embodiments arenot limited to these examples. In some cases, other devices and/orsystems, which may be referred to as “tier-2” or “tier-3” or other, mayuse the shared spectrum in accordance with the usage priority. Forinstance, when incumbent devices are not using the shared spectrum, oneor more base stations may use the shared spectrum for wirelesscommunication with one or more mobile devices in compliance withapplicable policies for usage of the shared spectrum. Accordingly, suchtier-2 and/or tier-3 devices may include base stations, mobile devicesand/or other devices in some cases.

In some embodiments, Spectrum Access System (SAS) spectrum sharingtechniques may be used, although embodiments are not limited to the useof SAS for spectrum sharing. In some embodiments, Licensed Shared Access(LSA) spectrum sharing techniques may be used, although embodiments arenot limited to the use of LSA for spectrum sharing. It should be notedthat embodiments are not limited to the number of eNBs 405, UEs 410,cells or other elements shown in FIG. 4. Embodiments are also notlimited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 4. In addition, embodiments arenot limited to the usage of eNBs 405 and UEs 410 (which may be arrangedto operate according to a 3GPP LTE protocol). For instance, APs, STAs,other base station components and/or other mobile devices may be used insome embodiments.

In the spectrum sharing scenario 400, the eNB 405 may communicate with aUE 410 over the wireless link 415. As shown in FIG. 4, the top layer ofcells 420 may indicate communication (between the eNB 405 and the UE410, for instance) in dedicated licensed spectrum. The bottom layer ofcells 430 may indicate communication in shared spectrum, which may beLSA spectrum in this example.

In an example of spectrum sharing using LSA techniques, a 3GPP LTEnetwork may be operated on licensed shared basis in the 2.3-2.4 GHzfrequency band which corresponds to 3GPP LTE Band 40. An incumbent(tier-1) user (or base station) may be prioritized over the licensee(tier-2) user (or base station). For instance, a mobile network operator(MNO) may be required to vacate the LSA band for a given geographicarea, a given frequency range and a given period of time for which theincumbent is requiring access to the resource. In some cases, the LSAband may be combined with LTE operation in dedicated licensed spectrumthrough suitable Carrier Aggregation mechanisms. For instance, somelegacy LTE systems may be based on FDD technology, and the 3GPPRelease-12 FDD/TDD Carrier Aggregation feature may be required for asuitable combination of existing deployment with LTE LSA modes. Itshould be noted that the LSA system approach may also be applied to anyother suitable frequency band and/or any other countries/regions. Forinstance, usage of a 2.7 GHz band may be a potential candidate in Japan.In other frequency bands, the spectrum sharing may be slightly modifiedin order to accommodate for specific requirements, such as propagationcharacteristics of the target frequency band, specifics (such asconfiguration, behavior, etc.) of the incumbent system. Typicalmodifications may include different signal bandwidths (instead of 10 MHzbands for SAS for example), short-time hand-over into target sharedbands and out of them (due to short term spectrum availability due tobehavior of incumbent user).

In an example of spectrum sharing using Spectrum Access System (SAS)techniques, a 3GPP LTE network may be operated on licensed shared basisin the 3.55-3.7 GHz frequency band which corresponds to 3GPP LTE Bands42 and 43. In some cases, SAS may differ from LSA in that licensedspectrum slots may be only available in parts of the entire SAS band (upto 70 MHz) for so-called Primary Access License (PAL or PA) tier-2users. The remaining part of the spectrum, as well as unused portions ofthe PAL spectrum (“use-it-or-share-it” rule), may be available to a newuser class called General Authorized Access (GAA) tier-3 users. Thistier-3 class may not exist in the LSA system definition. GAA users maytypically operate LTE Licensed Assisted Access (LSA) or WiFi typesystems, and may make modifications in order to be adapted to SASrequirements. For instance, such requirements may be imposed by agoverning body, such as the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) orother, in some cases. It should be noted that the SAS system approachmay also be applied to any other suitable frequency band and/or anyother countries/regions. For instance, usage of a 2.7 GHz band may be apotential candidate in Japan. In other frequency bands, the spectrumsharing may be slightly modified in order to accommodate for specificrequirements, such as propagation characteristics of the targetfrequency band, specifics (such as configuration, behavior, etc.) of theincumbent system. Typical modifications may include different signalbandwidths (instead of 10 MHz bands for SAS for example), short-timehand-over into target shared bands and out of them (due to short termspectrum availability due to behavior of incumbent user).

It should be noted that both systems, LSA and SAS, may be defined forusage in a specific frequency band. The basic operational principles ofthose systems, however, may be frequency agnostic in some cases, and maybe straightforwardly applied to other bands. For instance, techniquesmay be applied to 3.5 GHz candidate bands in some cases.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example network for a Licensed Shared Access (LSA)arrangement and an example network for a Spectrum Access System (SAS)arrangement in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted thatembodiments are not limited to the number of eNBs 505, UEs 510, basestations, mobile devices, cells or other elements shown in FIG. 5.Embodiments are also not limited to the type of components shown in FIG.5 and/or arrangements of the components as shown in FIG. 5. In addition,embodiments are not limited to the usage of eNBs 505 and UEs 510 (whichmay be arranged to operate according to a 3GPP LTE protocol). Forinstance, APs, STAs, other base station components and/or other mobiledevices may be used in some embodiments.

In the spectrum sharing scenario 500, LSA techniques may be used. TheeNB 505 may communicate with a UE 510 over the wireless link 515. Asshown in FIG. 5, the top layer of cells 520 may indicate communication(between the eNB 505 and the UE 510, for instance) in dedicated licensedspectrum. The bottom layer of cells 530 may indicate communication inshared spectrum, which may be LSA spectrum in the example scenario 500.

The LSA Repository 535 may be a centralized database that may be usedfor spectrum management in this scenario 500. The incumbent users 547may be required to provide a-priori usage information to the LSArepository 535 (or database) on the availability of LSA spectrum overspace and time. Depending on this information, the LTE system may begranted access or may be requested to vacate one or more frequency bandsthrough control mechanisms and/or operations that may be performed (atleast partly) by the LSA Controller 540. In this operational approach,sensing mechanisms may not necessarily be required to support the systemfor the identification of incumbent operation.

In the spectrum sharing scenario 550, SAS techniques may be used.Embodiments are not limited to the number, arrangement and/or type ofbase stations used. As an example, one or more Citizens BroadbandService Devices (CBSD) 560 may be used. A CBSD may be or may include abase station component that operates in shared spectrum according torules defined and/or enforced by a governing body (such as the FCC) orother entity. As another example, one or more eNBs may be used.Embodiments are not limited to the number, arrangement and/or type ofmobile devices that may communicate with the CBSDs 560 (or other basestation component) in the shared spectrum and/or other spectrum. As anexample, any number of users 555 may be used, in which a user may be amobile device and/or stationary device, such as a UE, STA or other.

In some embodiments, SAS may be designed to ensure coexistence withincumbent users who may not be able to provide any a-priori informationto a central database. In some cases, such design considerations maydiffer in comparison to LSA. In some cases, an Environmental SensingCapability (ESC) 580 component may perform sensing tasks. As anon-limiting example, the ESC 580 may be included for militaryapplications. In some cases, spectrum access decisions for tier-3 andtier-2 users may be based at least partly on such sensing results. Asnon-limiting example, unlicensed systems such as Wi-Fi (802.11) orBluetooth, may be tier-3 users.

As an example, the FCC and/or other entity may mandate and/or advisethat a spectrum sharing technique, such as SAS, be used to coordinateusage of shared spectrum between incumbent devices, PA devices and/orGAA devices. Accordingly, it may be mandatory that tier-2 and tier-3devices communicate with the SAS constantly or at least continuouslywhile operating in the shared spectrum in order to ensure compliance bythe tier-2 and/or tier-3 devices.

It should be noted that embodiments and/or exemplary scenarios describedherein may involve devices (including PAL user devices for SAS, GAA userdevices for SAS, LSA Licensee user devices for LSA, incumbent users forany systems, other mobile devices, and/or other devices) operatingand/or arranged to operate according to 3GPP (Third GenerationPartnership Project) specifications, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE)and Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) and LTE-Advanced Pro. However,it is understood that such embodiments and/or exemplary scenarios may besimilarly applied to other mobile communication technologies andstandards, such as any Cellular Wide Area radio communicationtechnology, which may include e.g. a 5th Generation (5G) communicationsystems, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) radiocommunication technology, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) radiocommunication technology, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE) radio communication technology, and/or a Third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) radio communication technology (e.g. UMTS(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), FOMA (Freedom ofMultimedia Access), 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3GPP LTE Advanced(Long Term Evolution Advanced)), 3GPP LTE-Advanced Pro, CDMA2000 (Codedivision multiple access 2000), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data),Mobitex, 3G (Third Generation), CSD (Circuit Switched Data), HSCSD(High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data), UMTS (3G) (Universal MobileTelecommunications System (Third Generation)), W-CDMA (UMTS) (WidebandCode Division Multiple Access (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem)), HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), HSDPA (High-Speed DownlinkPacket Access), HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access), HSPA+(HighSpeed Packet Access Plus), UMTS-TDD (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem-Time-Division Duplex), TD-CDMA (Time Division-Code DivisionMultiple Access), TD-CDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code DivisionMultiple Access), 3GPP Rel. 8 (Pre-4G) (3rd Generation PartnershipProject Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation)), 3GPP Rel. 9 (3rd GenerationPartnership Project Release 9), 3GPP Rel. 10 (3rd Generation PartnershipProject Release 10), 3GPP Rel. 11 (3rd Generation Partnership ProjectRelease 11), 3GPP Rel. 12 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release12), 3GPP Rel. 13 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 14), 3GPPRel. 14 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 14), 3GPP Rel. 15(3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 15), 3GPP Rel. 16 (3rdGeneration Partnership Project Release 16), 3GPP Rel. 17 (3rd GenerationPartnership Project Release 17), 3GPP LTE Extra, LTE Licensed-AssistedAccess (LAA), UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access). E-UTRA (Evolved UMTSTerrestrial Radio Access), LTE Advanced (4G) (Long Term EvolutionAdvanced (4th Generation)), ETSI OneM2M, loT (Internet of things),cdmaOne (2G), CDMA2000 (3G) (Code division multiple access 2000 (Thirdgeneration)), EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only),AMPS (1G) (Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation)), TACS/ETACS(Total Access Communication System/Extended Total Access CommunicationSystem), D-AMPS (2G) (Digital AMPS (2nd Generation)), PTT(Push-to-talk), MTS (Mobile Telephone System), IMTS (Improved MobileTelephone System), AMTS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), OLT(Norwegian for Offentlig Landmobil Telefoni, Public Land MobileTelephony), MTD (Swedish abbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D, orMobile telephony system D), Autotel/PALM (Public Automated Land Mobile),ARP (Finnish for Autoradiopuhelin or “car radio phone”), NMT (NordicMobile Telephony), Hicap (High capacity version of NTT (Nippon Telegraphand Telephone)), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), Mobitex, DataTAC,iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network), PDC (Personal DigitalCellular), CSD (Circuit Switched Data), PHS (Personal Handy-phoneSystem), WiDEN (Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network), iBurst,Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA, also referred to as also referred to as3GPP Generic Access Network, or GAN standard)), Wireless GigabitAlliance (WiGig) standard, mmWave standards in general (wireless systemsoperating at 10-90 GHz and above such as WiGig, IEEE 802.1 lad, IEEE802.1 lay and/or others) and/or others. The embodiments and/or examplesprovided herein are thus understood as being applicable to various othermobile communication technologies, both existing and not yet formulated.

In some cases, such devices may be arranged to support wireless and/orwired communication that may or may not necessarily be defined by astandard, in addition to or instead of the mobile communicationtechnologies and/or standards described above.

As an example, spectrum sharing may be performed and/or implemented inthe 2.3-2.4 GHz band. As another example, spectrum sharing may beperformed and/or implemented in the 3.55-3.7 GHz band (US). As anotherexample, some or all of the techniques described herein may beapplicable to other frequency bands. For instance, broadband wirelesscommunication bands below 6 GHz or mmWave bands from 6 GHz to 100 GHzmay be used in some cases. In some embodiments, additional techniquesmay be used for spectrum sharing. For instance, techniques foraccommodation of fast adaptation requirements by the incumbents may beused.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example network architecture that includes a SAShierarchy in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 7 illustratesanother example network architecture that includes a SAS hierarchy inaccordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, these and othernetworks may be used for allocation of shared frequency spectrum forsecondary usage. In some cases, the spectrum may be used by an incumbentdevice for primary usage and/or priority usage. Such spectrum may beused infrequently or for a limited time period in some cases. As anexample, a television channel may be off the air during an overnighttime period. As another example, radar signals may be transmitted indedicated spectrum at an infrequent rate.

It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to the number, typeand/or arrangement of components shown in the example networks 700, 800.As an example, embodiments are not limited to the usage of eNBs 630, 730and/or UEs 635, 735 (which may be arranged to operate according to a3GPP LTE protocol). For instance, CBSDs, APs and/or other base stationcomponents may be used in some embodiments. In addition, STAs and/orother mobile devices may be used in some embodiments. It should also benoted that references may be made to CBSDs 630, 730 in describingembodiments related to the example networks 600, 700, other networksand/or other embodiments. Such references are not limiting, however, aseNBs 630 and/or other base station components may be used in someembodiments.

In some embodiments, one or more of the CBSDs 630, 730 may be configuredas eNBs 104 configured to operate in the 3GPP network as shown in FIG. 1and may also be configured to operate as part of a network such as 600,700 and/or other for spectrum sharing. Accordingly, such an eNB 104 maycommunicate with the MME 122, serving GW 124, and PDN GW 126 as part ofthe operation of the 3GPP network, and may also communicate withcomponents included in networks such as 600, 700 and/or others as partof the spectrum sharing operation. Communication, by the eNB 104, withcomponents in the two networks (3GPP and SAS) may or may not beindependent and/or related.

As shown in FIG. 6, one or more Global SAS controllers 610 and one ormore Private SAS controllers 625 may operate as part of a SAS hierarchyto perform management, allocation, monitoring and/or other operationsrelated to the shared spectrum. The shared spectrum may be allocated tovarious CBSDs 630 for secondary usage for communication with UEs 635. Insome cases, additional components and/or other components may be used aspart of a SAS hierarchy. As shown in the example network 700 in FIG. 7,one or more Global SAS controllers 710, one or more Public (local) SAScontrollers 720, and one or more Private SAS controllers 725 may operateas part of a SAS hierarchy to perform management, allocation, monitoringand/or other operations related to the shared spectrum. The sharedspectrum may be allocated to one or more CBSDs 730 for secondary usagefor communication with UEs 735.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, one or more CBSDs may bedirectly accessible and/or managed by a global SAS controller or aPublic SAS controller. As an example, one or more CBSDs 632, 732 may bedirectly accessible to global SAS controllers 610, 710 as shown in FIGS.6-7.

Various operations and/or techniques presented below and elsewhereherein may refer to the Public SAS controller 720, Private SAScontroller 725, CBSDs 730, and UEs 735 shown in FIG. 7, but it isunderstood that such operations and/or techniques are not limited to theexample of FIG. 7, and may be applicable to other embodiments in somecases.

In some embodiments, the Public SAS controller 720 may register and/orunregister (directly accessible) CBSDs 730, the Private SAS controller725 and/or bundles of CBSDs 730 being communicated with as a groupthrough a Private SAS controller 725. The Public SAS controller 720 mayallocate channels for use by (directly accessible) CBSDs 730 and/orPrivate SAS controllers 725 and bundles of CBSDs 730 being communicatedas a group through a Private SAS controller 725. The Public SAScontroller 720 may set power levels for the CBSDs 730 (and/or connectedUEs 735 or end user devices) directly connected to it and may provideaggregate interference levels for Private SAS controllers 725. Powerlevels may relate to per-device levels or aggregate levels (i.e. sum ofoutput power levels) being created by a group of CBSDs 730 (and/orconnected UEs 735 or end users). The Public SAS controller 720 mayreceive spectrum quality information (from sensing) and other radioenvironment maps from a single or multiple ESCs 715. The Public SAScontroller 725 may receive license information, rules triggers,(configuration) requirements, etc. from a single or multiple FCCdatabases (such as 605 or 705 in FIGS. 6-7). The Public SAS controller720 may resolve interference problems in a given area by contacting theCBSDs directly registered to it as well as the Private SAS controllers725. The Public SAS controller 720 may protect higher tiers frominterference from lower tiers. As an example, if the Public SAScontroller 720 notes that noise floor or interference metrics are toohigh in a given area, it may contact all the CBSDs 730 and/or PrivateSAS controllers 725 that claim to be operating in that area. Forinstance, the interference metrics may exceed an interference levelallowance and/or other interference threshold. As another example, ifthe device is a CBSD 730, it may adjust its output power level. Asanother example, if the Private SAS controller 725 has jurisdiction overthat area, it may lower the aggregate interference numbers for thePrivate SAS controller 725 for the given region. For instance, aninterference level allowance for the region may be lowered. As anotherexample, the SAS controllers could potentially subdivide a census tractinto smaller regions for interference management.

The Public SAS controller 720 may exchange information with other GlobalSAS controllers and/or Private SAS controllers 725. As an example, basedon the geographic area in which the Private SAS controller 725 isoperating in, the Public SAS controller 720 may share all theinformation that it has about the devices and other Private SAScontrollers 725 operating in that region. It may provide other PublicSAS controllers 720 with some or all of its information pertaining tothe region the Public SAS controller 720 operates in. The Public SAScontroller 720 may manage triggers, requirements, requests, etc. fromthe incumbent. For example, the incumbent may change protection and/orinterference requirement levels (such as an interference level allowanceand/or other) for given geographic areas. The incumbent may also requirethat tier-2 and/or tier-3 users vacate the band (or parts of the band,which may concern only selected PAL/GAA slots). The Public SAScontroller 720 may manage system reconfiguration, for example forallocation of new PAL spectrum slots and/or GAA spectrum slots. Forinstance, the Public SAS controller 720 may reallocate the slots,increase or decrease the number of slots and/or perform otheroperations.

The Public SAS controller 720 may mange sub-division of PAL/GAA spectrumslots. That is, parts of PAL/GAA spectrum slots may be allocated to oroccupied by distinct stakeholders, users, MNOs and/or others entities.The Public SAS controller 720 may manage grouping of PAL/GAA spectrumslots. For example, spectrum aggregation may be employed in order to usea larger band configuration of target systems (such as 20 MHz LTE). ThePublic SAS controller 720 may manage guard bands between neighboringsystems, for instance some PAL and/or GAA slots may be allocated to act(at least partly) as guard band(s) between neighboring systems (at thelower/upper edge) of the concerned spectrum slot. The Public SAScontroller 720 may reallocate PAL and/or GAA slots dynamically such thatinterference between neighboring systems is minimized. The Public SAScontroller 720 may group PAL and/or GAA users to compete within a givengroup for access to a given spectrum slot. For instance, there may begroups of GAA users and only members of a given group may competeagainst each other for accessing a spectrum slot. The Public SAScontroller 720 may group PAL and/or GAA users of a given aggregate BW,for instance, users accessing a 10 MHz bandwidth may be group together,users accessing a 20 MHz bandwidth (for instance through carrieraggregation) are grouped together. The Public SAS controller 720 maymanage (mass) distribution of (urgent) information to CBSDs 730, UEs 735and/or end users. For instance, such information may include disasterevent related information, information on medical emergencies and/orother information. The Public SAS controller 720 may exclude specificnodes (CBSDs 730, Private SAS controllers 725, UEs 735 and/or other endusers) from accessing specific PAL/GAA spectrum slots. For instance,such exclusion may occur in cases in which a PAL/GAA user does not abideby applicable spectrum usage etiquette, policies and/or guidelines. ThePublic SAS controller 720 may manage carrier aggregation, for instancethe Public SAS controller 720 may direct users (CBSDs 730, Private SAScontrollers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users) to switch to specificCA modes, for instance using specific PAL/GAA bands jointly.Alternatively, the SAS controller may direct specific CBSDs 730, PrivateSAS controllers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users to stop employing CAand to use a single PAL/GAA spectrum slot only. The Public SAScontroller 720 may manage allocation of time slots (TDMA) to specificusers (CBSDs 730, Private SAS controllers 725, UEs 735 and/or other endusers) or groups of users (CBSDs 730, Private SAS controllers 725, UEs735 and/or other end users) such that the PAL/GAA spectrum blocks areshared over time. The Public SAS controller 720 may manage allocation offrequency slots (FDMA) to specific users (CBSDs 730, Private SAScontrollers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users) or groups of users(CBSDs 730, Private SAS controllers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users)such that the PAL/GAA spectrum blocks are shared over frequency. ThePublic SAS controller 720 may manage allocation of time and frequencyslots (joint TDMA/FDMA) to specific users (CBSDs 730, Private SAScontrollers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users) or groups of users(CBSDs 730, Private SAS controllers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users)such that the PAL/GAA spectrum blocks are shared over time andfrequency. The Public SAS controller 720 may manage user groups ofdistinct priority. For instance, gold users (CBSDs 730, Private SAScontrollers 725, UEs 735 and/or other end users) may have better accessto resources and/or QoS compared to silver or bronze users. The PublicSAS controller 720 may manage spectrum and/or infrastructure sharingbetween various operators and other stakeholders. For example, there maybe spectrum sharing between commercial MNOs and civil security/militarystakeholders. In such a case, one or more of the SAS controllers mayimpose which of the stakeholders can access which part of theresources/infrastructure at which point in time and which location. Incase of a disaster event, a civil security stakeholder may request thatone or more SAS controllers reserve resources and infrastructure tocivil security equipment and applications. The Public SAS controller 720may manage dynamic spectrum licenses. For instance, the correspondingauctioning mechanisms may be processed in the one or more SAScontrollers with different stakeholders (such as MNOs or other)competing for PAL and/or GAA spectrum resources. The Public SAScontroller 720 may manage end user devices switching from one CBSD 730to another CBSD 730, either or both of which may or may not be within aPrivate SAS controller 725 domain. In particular, the Public SAScontroller 720 may identify the new available PAL/GAA resources and mayinitiate the required handoff from one CBSD 730 to another.

The Private SAS controller 725 (or Private SAS proxy) may manageoperator CBSDs 730 (such as GAA and/or PAL) as well as UEs 735 withinits network. The Private SAS controller 725 may register with a globalSAS a) provide geographic area where it has its devices b) range ofdevices in its network and types of devices. The Private SAS controller725 may register the individual CBSDs, both PAL and GAA. The Private SAScontroller 725 may assign channels to individual GAA CBSD devices 730,UEs 735 within network. The Private SAS controller 725 may assignfrequency/channels for the PAL CBSDs 730 to use. The Private SAScontroller 725 may assign TX power levels for GAA CBSDs 730 and/or PALCBSDs 730. The Private SAS controller 725 may request CBSDs 730 tochange channels for interference mitigation, interference management andspectrum optimization. The Private SAS controller may request sensingreports from UEs 735 and/or CBSDs 730 and/or sensors, may computeaggregate interference being output from its devices to ensurecompliance to global SAS policies, may request CBSDs 730 to changechannels or change TX power to optimize spectrum usage, may manageinterference and/or may maintain aggregate interference limits (such asan interference level allowance and/or other). The CBSDs 730 mayregister with a Proxy SAS controller and not with global SAS, in somecases. The Private SAS controller 725 may cease all operations in theband for the device it controls. The Private SAS controller 725 mayrespond to requests from the global SAS controller if interference needsto be reduced in a given region. The Private SAS controller 725 mayprovide aggregate interference estimates from its devices to the globalSAS. The Private SAS controller 725 may optionally coordinate with otherPrivate SAS controllers 725 for interference management and channelusage of GAA CBSDs 730.

In some embodiments, the Private SAS controller 725 may register withthe Global SAS 710 with the basic information. The Public SAS controller720 may assign a set of channels to the Private SAS. Rather than assignindividual power levels to each of the CBSDs 730, the Global SAS 710 mayassign an aggregate interference level (such as an interference levelallowance and/or other) that the network of CBSDs 730 and UEs 735 haveto maintain. The Private SAS controller 725 may use this information toassign individual power levels to each of the CBSDs 730, which in turnmay manage power levels for the UEs 735 connected to them. Similarly, ifthe interference levels need to be adjusted, the Public SAS controller720 may provide information to the Private SAS controller 725 forreducing the aggregate output interference. The Private SAS controller725 may then be responsible for identifying which CBSDs 730 need toreduce power and by how much such that the aggregate metric is met.

It should be noted that the proposed approach (as described herein) forsplitting the SAS into a Private SAS controller and a Public SAScontroller may have the objective to keep part of the SAS functionalitywith the target operator's (typically PAL and/or GAA operator) network(i.e., the Private SAS) and part of the SAS functionality outside of thetarget operator's network. Any other functional split of the SAScontroller (or any other SAS functionality) can be envisaged. Also, itis possible that multiple operators may create some multi-stakeholder(closed) (sub-)network where some information may be exchanged. ThePrivate SAS controller may thus not be located in a single operator'snetwork (or domain) but within the multi-stakeholder (closed)(sub-)network. It is also possible that the multi-stakeholder (closed)(sub-)network may correspond to an additional hierarchical level,leading to a total of three (or more) hierarchical levels: i) Public SAScontroller, ii) multi-stakeholder (closed) (sub-)network SAS controller,iii) Private SAS controller.

In some embodiments, the Public (local) SAS controller 720 may processtrigger events, may identify affected Private SAS controllers 725, andmay forward related information only to the affected Private SAScontrollers 725. As an example, an incumbent device may require usage ofprimary spectrum that represents a small fraction of the entire sharedspectrum. The incumbent may incumbent may trigger the concerned SAStier-2 (PA users) and/or tier-3 (GAA users) to vacate the concernedspectrum. The Public (local) SAS controller 720 may identify whichtier-2 and/or tier-3 users actually operate in the portion of the sharedspectrum that is to be vacated, and may forward the trigger to thoseusers. In some cases, the trigger may be forwarded only to the affectedusers.

In some embodiments, the incumbent device may begin to use a portion ofthe shared spectrum, and the usage may be detected by an ESC 715, whichmay notify the area of channels that may need to be vacated. The GlobalSAS 710 may send the triggers to the Public SAS controllers 720 and/orPrivate SAS controllers 725 operating in the area. In some embodiments,a particular Public SAS controller 720 or Private SAS controller 725 maybe in communication with both the ESC 715 and the Global SAS 710, andmay therefore receive such information from both components in somecases.

In some embodiments, uplink information from a number of Private SAScontrollers 725 may be bundled by the Public (local) SAS controller 720and forwarded to the Global SAS and/or incumbent device in a manner thatmay be more efficient than individual communication, in some cases. Asan example, such information may be collected by the Public (local) SAScontroller 720 and filtered, grouped and/or sorted in a manner thatgroups one or more Private SAS controllers 725 together.

FIG. 8 illustrates example block diagrams of a Private SAS controllerand a Public SAS controller in accordance with some embodiments. ThePrivate SAS controller 800 may be suitable for use as a Private SAScontroller 625, 725 as depicted in FIGS. 6-7 and elsewhere herein, insome embodiments. The Public SAS controller 850 may be suitable for useas a Public SAS controller 620, 720 as depicted in FIGS. 6-7 andelsewhere herein, in some embodiments. The Private SAS controller 800may include processing circuitry 806 and memory 808 arranged to performthe operations described herein. The Private SAS controller 800 may alsoinclude one or more interfaces 810, which may enable communication withother components, including the Public SAS controller 850, CSBDs 630,730 and/or other components. The interfaces 810 may be wired or wirelessor a combination thereof. The Public SAS controller 850 may includeprocessing circuitry 856 and memory 858 arranged to perform theoperations described herein. The Public SAS controller 850 may alsoinclude one or more interfaces 860, which may enable communication withother components, including the Private SAS controller 800, CSBDs 630,730 and/or other components. The interfaces 860 may be wired or wirelessor a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the memory 808 and/ormemory 858 may include a storage element adapted to store aninterference level allowance and/or other information.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, a Private SAS controllermay include some or all of the components shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG.8 or both. It should also be noted that in some embodiments, a PublicSAS controller may include some or all of the components shown in eitherFIG. 2 or FIG. 8 or both. Although the Private SAS controller 800 andthe Public SAS controller 850 are illustrated as having several separatefunctional elements, one or more of the functional elements may becombined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configuredelements, such as processing elements including digital signalprocessors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, someelements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) andcombinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing atleast the functions described herein. In some embodiments, thefunctional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on oneor more processing elements. Embodiments may be implemented in one or acombination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also beimplemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storagedevice, which may be read and executed by at least one processor toperform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storagedevice may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing informationin a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, acomputer-readable storage device may include read-only memory (ROM),random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storagemedia, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Someembodiments may include one or more processors and may be configuredwith instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by thePrivate SAS controller 800 may include various components of the PrivateSAS controller 800 as shown in FIG. 8. In some embodiments, an apparatusused by the Public SAS controller 800 may include various components ofthe Public SAS controller 850 as shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly,techniques and operations described herein that refer to the Private SAScontroller 800 and/or Public SAS controller 850 may be applicable to anapparatus for a Private SAS controller 850 and/or Public SAS controller850.

FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of a method of communication usingshared spectrum in accordance with some embodiments. It is important tonote that embodiments of the method 900 may include additional or evenfewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated inFIG. 9. In addition, embodiments of the method 900 are not necessarilylimited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 9. Indescribing the method 900, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-8 and 10-14,although it is understood that the method 900 may be practiced with anyother suitable systems, interfaces and components.

In addition, while the method 900 and other methods described herein mayrefer to eNBs 104 or UEs 102 operating in accordance with 3GPP or otherstandards, embodiments of those methods are not limited to just thoseeNBs 104 or UEs 102 and may also use other devices, such as a CSBD.Wi-Fi access point (AP) or user station (STA). In addition, the method900 and other methods described herein may be practiced by wirelessdevices configured to operate in other suitable types of wirelesscommunication systems, including systems configured to operate accordingto various IEEE standards such as IEEE 802.11. In some embodiments, aCBSD (such as the CBSD 630, CBSD 730 or other) may be included as a basestation component. It should be noted that the CBSD may be an eNB 104and/or may be configured to operate as an eNB 104 in some cases.Accordingly, reference may be made to an eNB 730 in descriptions herein,but such reference does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

It should be noted that although operations and/or techniques may bedescribed in terms of the Public SAS controller 720, Private SAScontroller 725, eNBs 730, and UEs 735 shown in FIG. 7, it is understoodthat such operations and/or techniques are not limited to the example ofFIG. 7, and may be applicable to other embodiments in some cases. Inaddition, while the method 900 and other methods described herein mayrefer to a Private SAS controller 725 and/or Public SAS controller 720that may operate in an SAS network, embodiments are not limited to thosedevices and are also not limited to SAS networks. In some embodiments,the method 900 may be practiced by or may use other controller devicesin addition to, or instead of, the Private SAS controller 800 and/orPublic SAS controller 850. The method 900 may also refer to an apparatusfor a UE 102, eNB 300. Private SAS controller 800, Public SAS controller850 and/or other device described above.

At operation 905 of the method 900, the Private SAS controller 725 mayreceive, from the Public SAS controller 720, an indicator of channelsthat are available for secondary usage by a group of eNBs 730, thechannels included in shared spectrum reserved for primary usage by anincumbent device. In some embodiments, the Private SAS controller 725may also receive, from the Public SAS controller 720, informationrelated to transmit power levels and/or interference levels that may bepermitted and/or desired for the eNBs 730 (such as an interference levelallowance and/or other). For instance, the eNBs 730 may be located in ageographic area, and the Public SAS controller 720 may indicate suchinformation for the geographic area. In some cases, the Public SAScontroller 720 may provide high level information and/or guidelines tothe Private SAS controller 725 for this purpose. In some embodiments,the Private SAS controller 725 may receive messages from the Public SAScontroller 720 that may indicate an availability (or unavailability) ofthe shared spectrum (or one or more channels and/or portions of theshared spectrum) for secondary usage by the eNBs 730 for communicationwith one or more UEs 735.

As an example, the availability of the shared spectrum for the secondaryusage may be restricted to inactivity periods of one or more incumbentdevices. As another example, an availability of the shared spectrum forthe secondary usage may be based at least partly on an inactivitycondition of the incumbent devices. As another example, anunavailability of the shared spectrum for the secondary usage may bebased at least partly on an activity condition of the incumbent devices.As another example, the availability may be based at least partly on oneor more scheduled periods of inactivity for the incumbent devices in theshared spectrum. As another example, the inactivity condition may berelated to a predetermined threshold of activity and/or interference.For instance, the inactivity condition may occur when a level ofinterference to an incumbent is below the threshold. As another example,the inactivity condition may be limited to a geographic area. Forinstance, the geographic area may include a zone, such as an Exclusion,Restriction, Protection zone or other zone

At operation 910, the Private SAS controller 725 may send, to the groupof eNBs 730, a first configuration message that may indicate informationrelated to usage of the shared spectrum. In some cases, the message mayindicate a first allocation of the channels to the group of eNBs 730.For instance, each eNB 730 in the group may be allocated one or morechannels for usage, and the message may indicate this information. Inaddition, transmit power levels for the group of eNBs 730 may beindicated by the message in some cases. The transmit power levels mayinclude a common transmit power level for all eNBs 730, one or moretransmit power levels for individual eNBs 730 and or sub-groups of eNBs730, transmit power limits and/or other suitable information related totransmission power.

At operation 915, the Private SAS controller 725 may send, to one ormore eNBs 730 in the group, a request for interference measurements forthe first allocation. It should be noted that embodiments are notlimited to interference measurements, however, as other systemperformance measurements may be requested and/or used in some cases. Insome cases, the Private SAS controller 725 may receive such a request(or a similar request for information from the eNBs 730) from the PublicSAS controller 720. The Private SAS controller 725 may forward thatrequest to the eNBs 730, in some cases, although embodiments are notlimited to forwarding of such specific requests from the Public SAScontroller 720. For instance, the Private SAS controller 725 may requestthe interference measurements (or other system performance measurements)from the eNBs 730 using any suitable technique, and may do so based onor in response to reception of the request from the Public SAScontroller 720. Embodiments are not limited to interferencemeasurements, as information such as spectrum information, spectrumsensing information, channel sensing information or other informationmay be requested in addition to or instead of the interferencemeasurements, in some embodiments. As an example, output powermeasurements at the eNBs 730 and/or UEs 735 may be used. As anotherexample, received power measurements and/or signal quality measurementsat the eNBs 730 and/or UEs 735 may be used.

At operation 920, the Private SAS controller 725 may receive, from atleast a portion of the eNBs 730, interference measurements for the firstallocation. It should be noted that such information may be exchangedbetween the eNBs 730 and the Private SAS controller 725 based on or inresponse to the request from the Private SAS controller 725 to the eNBs730, but embodiments are not limited as such. For instance, the eNBs 730may transmit the information according to a schedule.

At operation 925, the Private SAS controller 725 may determine, based onthe received interference measurements, an aggregate interference levelfor the first allocation. At operation 930, the Private SAS controller725 may send, to the Public SAS controller 720, the aggregateinterference level for the first allocation. In some embodiments, thePrivate SAS controller 725 may also refrain from sending, to the PublicSAS controller 720, the received interference measurements for the firstallocation. That is, specific and/or individual interferencemeasurements may not be sent in some cases.

As an example, the aggregate interference level may include a sum and/oraverage of the measurements. The aggregate interference level mayrepresent and/or characterize an overall interference level in thesystem when the first allocation is used, in some cases. However,interference levels and other information for individual eNBs 730 and/orUEs 735 may be obfuscated and/or anonymized by the aggregateinterference level. Accordingly, the Private SAS controller 725 mayprovide relevant information (the aggregate) to the Public SAScontroller 720 for usage in interference management and/or compliancedetermination, but may also maintain a level of confidentiality in termsof the operation and/or network layout of the eNBs 730 and/or UEs 735(individual interference measurements). In some cases, values for someor all of the individual devices (eNBs 730 and/or UEs 735) may beexcluded from the information provided to the Public SAS controller 720.

It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to the usage of theaggregate interference level in the information sent from the PrivateSAS controller 725 to the Public SAS controller 720. In someembodiments, other statistical measurements, such as histograms orother, may be determined based at least partly on the receivedinterference measurements.

At operation 935, the Private SAS controller 725 may receive, from thePublic SAS controller 720, a request for a re-allocation of the channelsto the group of eNBs 730 and/or a modification to the transmit powerlevels for the eNBs 730. As an example, the Public SAS controller 720may determine that the aggregate interference level is too high (forinstance, in comparison to an interference level allowance and/or otherthreshold), and may request that the channels be re-allocated and/orthat one or more transmit power levels be lowered. As another example,the Private SAS controller 725 may make such a determination based on aninterference threshold (which may be a limit, maximum and/or othervalue) received from the Public SAS controller 720. For instance, acomparison between the interference threshold and the aggregateinterference level (or other function of the interference measurements)may be performed by the Private SAS controller 725.

In some embodiments, the interference threshold may be or may be basedon an interference level allowance. For instance, the interference levelallowance may be related to a maximum permitted interference level. Asan example, the interference level may be related to an aggregateinterference level. As another example, the level may be related toindividual interference levels from individual devices. These examplesare not limiting, however, as any suitable interference level may beused.

At operation 940, the Private SAS controller 725 may send a secondconfiguration message that indicates a second allocation of the channelsto the group of eNBs 730 and/or a second set of transmit power levelsfor the group of eNBs 730. The second allocation and/or second set oftransmit power levels may be determined to reduce, mitigate and/ormanage overall system interference, in some cases. For instance, thedetermination may be performed based when the aggregate interferencelevel is determined to be too high (for instance, in comparison to aninterference level allowance and/or other threshold). In someembodiments, the second allocation of the channels may be part of areassignment of the shared spectrum.

It should be noted that the second configuration message may include anyinformation related to usage of the spectrum by the eNB 730. As anexample, a spectrum usage indicator may indicate whether the eNB 730 isto refrain from usage of the first channel and/or whether the eNB 730 ispermitted to use the first channel. The spectrum usage indicator mayalso indicate conditions under which the eNB 730 may use the firstchannel (or other spectrum). The conditions may be related to factorssuch as transmit power limits, output power limits, usage in one or moregeographic areas and/or sub-areas, a sub-set of possible transmissionsectors and/or other factors.

In some embodiments, the Private SAS controller 725 may decide whichchannels are to be allocated to individual eNBs 730 as part of the firstand/or second allocations. In some embodiments, the Private SAScontroller 725 may determine transmit power levels to be used by theeNBs 730 when communicating according to the first and/or secondallocations, and may notify the eNBs 730 of this information. Forinstance, a second configuration message (or multiple such messages) maybe used. In some cases, the second allocation may be a re-allocation ofthe channels for the eNBs 730. That is, for at least one eNB 730,channels allocated to the eNB 730 as part of the first allocation may bedifferent than channels allocated to the eNB 730 as part of the secondallocation. In addition, transmit power levels for the eNBs 730 may bedifferent for the first and/or second allocations, in some cases.Accordingly, the second allocation may be part of a reassignment of theshared spectrum.

At operation 945, the Private SAS controller 725 may receive, from thePublic SAS controller 720, an indication that one or more eNBs 730 inthe group are to refrain from usage of the shared spectrum. At operation950, the Private SAS controller 725 may send, to the group of eNBs 730,the indication that the eNBs 730 are to refrain from usage of the sharedspectrum. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited toforwarding, to the eNBs 730, of the exact indication received from thePublic SAS controller 720. In some embodiments, the Private SAScontroller 725 may notify at least the affected eNBs 730 to refrain fromusage of the shared spectrum in any suitable manner.

In some embodiments, the Private SAS controller 725 may be notified, bythe Public SAS controller 720, of an unavailability of the sharedspectrum. The Public SAS controller 720 may indicate the unavailabilityto the eNBs 730 and may indicate that the eNBs 730 are to vacate theshared spectrum. As an example, the unavailability may be based at leastpartly on activity of one or more incumbent devices. As another example,the unavailability may be based at least partly on an intention of theincumbent device(s) to retake the shared spectrum for primary usage. Asanother example, the unavailability may be based at least partly on aresumption of spectrum activity for the incumbent devices in the sharedspectrum. As another example, the unavailability may be based at leastpartly on one or more scheduled periods of activity for the incumbentdevices in the shared spectrum.

FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of another method of allocation ofshared spectrum in accordance with some embodiments. As mentionedpreviously regarding the method 900, embodiments of the method 1000 mayinclude additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparisonto what is illustrated in FIG. 10 and embodiments of the method 1000 arenot necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG.10. In describing the method 1000, reference may be made to FIGS. 1-9and 11-14, although it is understood that the method 1000 may bepracticed with any other suitable systems, interfaces and components. Inaddition, embodiments of the method 1000 may refer to eNBs 104, UEs 102,APs, STAs, CBSDs, Private SAS controllers, Public SAS controllers orother wireless or mobile devices, although embodiments are not limitedto those devices. Although the method 1000 may be described for an eNB730, it is understood that other base station components and/or CBSDsmay be used in some embodiments. The method 900 may also refer to anapparatus for an eNB 730, UE 735, Private SAS controller 725, Public SAScontroller 720 and/or other device described above.

It should be noted that the method 1000 may be practiced at an eNB 730,and may include exchanging of signals or messages with a Private SAScontroller 725. Similarly, the method 900 may be practiced at a PrivateSAS controller 725, and may include exchanging of signals or messageswith an eNB 730. In some cases, operations and techniques described aspart of the method 900 may be relevant to the method 1000. In addition,embodiments may include operations performed at the Private SAScontroller 725 that are reciprocal or similar to other operationsdescribed herein performed at the eNB 730. For instance, an operation ofthe method 1000 may include reception of a message by the eNB 730 whilean operation of the method 900 may include transmission of the samemessage or similar message by the Private SAS controller 725.

In addition, previous discussion of various techniques and concepts maybe applicable to the method 1000 in some cases, including the primaryand secondary usage of the shared spectrum, allocation of the sharedspectrum, retaking of the shared spectrum for primary usage, the PrivateSAS controller 725, the Public SAS controller 720, interferencemeasurements, interference level allowances, interference thresholds,spectrum information, spectrum sensing information, availability and/orunavailability of the shared spectrum, reallocation and/or reassignmentof shared spectrum, and others.

At operation 1005, the eNB 730 may exchange one or more registrationmessages with a Private SAS controller 725 for usage of shared spectrum.Accordingly, the eNB 730 may register with the Private SAS controller725 for secondary usage of the shared spectrum. At operation 1010, theeNB 730 may receive one or more configuration messages from the PrivateSAS controller 725 that allocates one or more channels of the sharedspectrum to the eNB 730 for the secondary usage. That is, a firstallocation of one or more channels to the eNB 730 may be indicated. Insome cases, one or more transmit power levels may also be indicated bythe configuration messages.

At operation 1015, the eNB 730 may receive, from the Private SAScontroller 725, a request that the eNB 730 determine one or moreinterference measurements for the first allocation. At operation 1020,the eNB 730 may transmit one or more data packets to a UE 735 accordingto the first allocation. At operation 1025, a first interferencemeasurement may be determined based on the transmission of the datapackets according to the first allocation. As previously described, thefirst interference measurement may be based on a measurement of outputtransmit power at the eNB 730 and/or UEs 735 communication with the eNB730. At operation 1030, the eNB 730 may send the measurement to thePrivate SAS controller 725. It should also be noted that embodiments arenot limited to interference measurements, however, as other systemperformance measurements may be requested and/or used in some cases.Information such as spectrum information, spectrum sensing information,channel sensing information or other information may be requested inaddition to or instead of the interference measurements, in someembodiments. As an example, output power measurements at the eNBs 730and/or UEs 735 may be used. As another example, received powermeasurements and/or signal quality measurements at the eNBs 730 and/orUEs 735 may be used.

At operation 1035, the eNB 730 may receive, from the Private SAScontroller 725, an indication that the eNB 730 is to refrain from usageof one or more channels, which may be included in the first allocation.The eNB 730 may refrain from usage of the indicated channels in responseto the reception of the indication. It should be noted that the eNB 730may receive, from the Private SAS controller 725, any informationrelated to usage of the channels and/or spectrum by the eNB 730. As anexample, a spectrum usage indicator may indicate whether the eNB 730 isto refrain from usage of one or more channels and/or whether the eNB 730is permitted to use one or more channels. The spectrum usage indicatormay also indicate conditions under which the eNB 730 may use the one ormore channels (or other spectrum). The conditions may be related tofactors such as transmit power limits, output power limits, usage in oneor more geographic areas and/or sub-areas, a sub-set of possibletransmission sectors and/or other factors

At operation 1040, the eNB 730 may receive, from the Private SAScontroller 725, one or more configuration messages that indicate asecond allocation of one or more channels in the shared spectrum to theeNB 730. In some cases, the second allocation may be determined by thePrivate SAS controller 725, Public SAS controller 720 and/or othercomponent in order to reduce interference.

As a non-limiting example, the first allocation may include a firstchannel and exclude a second channel, while the second allocation mayinclude the second channel and exclude the first channel. Accordingly,it may be determined (based on one or more interference measurements forthe first channel) that usage of the first channel causes too muchinterference, and the Private SAS controller 725 may notify the eNB 730to switch to the second channel.

At operation 1045, the eNB 730 may transmit one or more data packets tothe UE 735 according to the second allocation. The eNB 730 may alsoreceive one or more uplink data packets according to the secondallocation. At operation 1050, the eNB 730 may determine one or moreinterference measurements for the second allocation, and may send suchmeasurements to the Private SAS controller 725 at operation 1055.Although not limited as such, techniques used for similar operations forthe first allocation may be used in some cases.

FIG. 11 illustrates a signal flow diagram for an example ofcommunication in shared spectrum in accordance with some embodiments. Itshould be noted that embodiments are not limited to the operations shownin the example scenario 1100. Some embodiments may include feweroperations than what is shown in the example scenario 1100 in FIG. 11and some embodiments may include additional operations not shown inexample scenario 1100 in FIG. 11. In addition, embodiments are notlimited to the chronological ordering shown in the example scenario 1100in FIG. 11. It should be noted that concepts and/or techniques describedherein may be applicable to the example scenario 1100 in some cases.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in theexample network 1200 in FIG. 12, any number of Private SAS and/or PublicSAS components and/or levels may be used in some embodiments, as part ofa SAS hierarchy. As an example, a CBSD 730 may directly contact anallocated (typically lowest level) Private SAS component, which mayprocess related information from one or more CBSDs 730. For instance,requests and/or triggers may be grouped together in function of therequested type of action. Such information may be forwarded to a nexthigher Private SAS component, and may be forwarded until reaching ahighest level Private SAS component. The information may then beforwarded to a lowest level Public SAS component, and may be forwardedupwards until reaching a highest level Public SAS component, and thenmay be forwarded to the Global SAS component. Referring to FIG. 12, anexample Public SAS hierarchy may include 1210 and 1220 and/or otherlevels. An example Private SAS hierarchy may include 1230 and 1240and/or other levels.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example network architecture that includes aSAS hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 14 illustratesanother example network architecture that includes a SAS hierarchy inaccordance with some embodiments. FIG. 15 illustrates another examplenetwork architecture that includes an LSA hierarchy in accordance withsome embodiments. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited tothe example networks 1300, 1400, 1500 shown in FIGS. 13-15 in terms ofnumber, type and/or arrangement of components.

As shown in the example networks 1300, 1400, a SAS hierarchy may includea Public SAS controller 1335 and a Private SAS controller 1330 forallocation of shared spectrum for the Mobile Network Operator Domain(MNO) 1310. In this example, a second MNO 1350 also employs a SAShierarchy with the Public SAS controller 1335 and a Private SAScontroller 1355. The MNO 1310 may include various components for networkmanagement, such as one or more Network Managers (NM) 1315, DomainManagers (DM) 1320, Network Elements (NE) 1325 and/or others. FCCdatabases 1340, ESC 1345. FIG. 14 illustrates an example network 1400 inwhich the Private SAS controller 1430 operates as part of a SAShierarchy with the Public SAS controller 1435. In this example 1400, thePrivate SAS controller 1430 is included as part of the DM 1420, which isincluded in the MNO 1410.

As shown in FIG. 15, LSA components, such as the LSA Controller (LC)1520 and the LSA Repository (LR) 1510 and/or others, may be integratedinto a 3GPP SA5 system architecture. In addition, functionality for theLC 1520 may be split in a similar manner as described herein for SASsystems. LSA and SAS entities may also be integrated into other systemarchitectures in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, within the multi-stakeholder (closed) (sub-)networkand/or the (private) operators' network, the (Private) SAS controllermay typically be connected to or included in one of the followingentities which are defined by 3GPP System Architecture Group 5 (3GPPSA5). The Network Manager (NM) may provide a package of end-userfunctions with the responsibility for the management of a network,mainly as supported by the EM(s) but it may also involve direct accessto the Network Elements (NE). All communication with the network may bebased on open and well-standardized interfaces supporting management ofmulti-vendor and multi-technology Network Elements. The Domain Manager(DM) may provide element management functions and domain managementfunctions for a sub-network. Inter-working domain managers may providemulti-vendor and multi-technology network management functions. AnElement Manager (EM) may provide a package of end-user functions formanagement of a set of closely related types of network elements. Thesefunctions can be divided into two main categories: Element ManagementFunctions and Sub-Network Management Functions. A Network Element (NE)may correspond to a discrete telecommunications entity, which can bemanaged over a specific interface, e.g. the RNC.

In Example 1, an apparatus for an Evolved Node-B (eNB) may compriseinterface circuitry and hardware processing circuitry. The hardwareprocessing circuitry may configure the interface circuitry to receive,from a Private Spectrum Access System (SAS) controller, a firstconfiguration message that allocates, to the eNB, a first channelincluded in shared spectrum reserved for primary usage by an incumbentdevice. The hardware processing circuitry may further configure theinterface circuitry to receive, from the Private SAS controller, arequest that the eNB determine a system performance measurement. Thehardware processing circuitry may further configure the interfacecircuitry to send, to the Private SAS controller, a system performancemeasurement based on a communication between the eNB and a UserEquipment (UE). The hardware processing circuitry may further configurethe interface circuitry to receive, from the Private SAS controller, asecond configuration message that includes a spectrum usage indicatorfor usage of the first channel by the eNB.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the spectrumusage indicator may indicate either that the eNB is to refrain fromusage of the first channel or that the eNB is permitted to use the firstchannel.

In Example 3, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-2, wherein the first configuration message may indicate a firsttransmit power to be used, by the eNB, for transmissions on the firstchannel. When the spectrum usage indicator indicates that the eNB is torefrain from usage of the first channel, the second configurationmessage may allocate, to the eNB, a second channel included in theshared spectrum and may further indicate a second transmit power to beused, by the eNB, for transmissions on the second channel.

In Example 4, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-3, wherein when the spectrum usage indicator indicates that the eNB ispermitted to use the first channel, the second configuration message mayfurther include a transmission power limit for the usage of the firstchannel and/or a geographic area in which the usage of the first channelis permitted.

In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-4, wherein the system performance measurement may include aninterference measurement based on an output transmit power used for atransmission of a data packet, by the eNB, to the UE.

In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-5, wherein the apparatus may further comprise transceiver circuitry.The hardware processing circuitry may configure the transceivercircuitry to transmit the data packet to the UE.

In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-6, wherein the data packet may be a first data packet. The hardwareprocessing circuitry may further configure the transceiver circuitry totransmit a second data packet to the UE in the second channel. Thehardware processing circuitry may further configure the interfacecircuitry to send, to the Private SAS controller, an interferencemeasurement based on a transmit power used for the transmission of thesecond data packet.

In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples1-7, wherein the eNB may be configured to operate as part of a mobilenetwork operator (MNO) domain that includes the Private SAS controller.

In Example 9, an apparatus of a Private Spectrum Access System (SAS)controller may comprise interface circuitry and hardware processingcircuitry. The hardware processing circuitry may configure the interfacecircuitry to receive, from a Public SAS controller, an indicator ofchannels that are available for secondary usage by a group of EvolvedNode-Bs (eNBs). The channels may be included in shared spectrum reservedfor primary usage by an incumbent device. The hardware processingcircuitry may further configure the interface circuitry to send a firstconfiguration message that indicates a first allocation of the channelsto the eNBs for communication with User Equipments (UEs). The hardwareprocessing circuitry may further configure the interface circuitry toreceive, from the eNBs, interference measurements for the firstallocation. The hardware processing circuitry may further configure theinterface circuitry to send a second configuration message thatindicates a second allocation of the channels to the eNBs for thecommunication with the UEs, the second allocation based at least partlyon the interference measurements and an interference thresholddetermined by the Public SAS controller.

In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9, wherein the apparatusmay be configured to operate as part of the Private SAS controller foroperation with the Public SAS controller as part of an SAS hierarchy tomanage the primary usage and the secondary usage of the shared spectrum.

In Example 11, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-10, wherein the first configuration message may further indicate afirst set of transmit power levels to be used by the eNBs for thecommunication with the UEs according to the first allocation of thechannels.

In Example 12, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-11, wherein the second configuration message may further indicate asecond, different set of transmit power levels to be used by the eNBsfor the communication with the UEs according to the second allocation ofthe channels. The second set of transmit power levels may be based atleast partly on the interference measurements and the interferencethreshold.

In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-12, wherein the interference measurements may include one or moreoutput power measurements at the eNBs and/or UEs. The hardwareprocessing circuitry may be configured to determine an aggregateinterference level based on the output power measurements.

In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-13, wherein the hardware processing circuitry may configure theinterface circuitry to send the aggregate interference level to thePublic SAS controller. The hardware processing circuitry may furtherconfigure the interface circuitry to refrain from sending the outputpower measurements to the Public SAS controller.

In Example 15, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-14, wherein the second allocation may be determined, by the PrivateSAS controller, in response to a reception, from the Public SAScontroller, of an indicator that the aggregate interference levelexceeds the interference threshold.

In Example 16, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-15, wherein the refraining from sending the output power measurementsto the Public SAS controller may be to enable an obfuscation of theinterference measurements from the Public SAS controller.

In Example 17, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-16, wherein the hardware processing circuitry may be configured todetermine the first allocation and the second allocation.

In Example 18, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-17, wherein for at least one of the eNBs, a first portion of thechannels may be allocated to the eNB as part of the first allocation anda second, different portion of the channels may be allocated to the eNBas part of the second allocation.

In Example 19, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-18, wherein the second allocation of the channels may be performed toenable a reduction in interference for the communication between theeNBs and the UEs.

In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-19, wherein the hardware processing circuitry may configure theinterface circuitry to receive the interference threshold from thePublic SAS controller. The hardware processing circuitry may furtherconfigure the interface circuitry to determine the second allocation ofthe channels based at least partly on a comparison between theinterference measurements and the interference threshold.

In Example 21, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-20, wherein the hardware processing circuitry may further configurethe interface circuitry to receive, from the Public SAS controller, anunavailability indicator for the shared spectrum for the secondaryusage. The hardware processing circuitry may further configure theinterface circuitry to send, to the eNBs, a spectrum vacate message thatindicates that the eNBs are to refrain from usage of the channels forthe communication with UEs.

In Example 22, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-21, wherein the spectrum vacate message may be sent in response to thereception of the unavailability indicator.

In Example 23, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples9-22, wherein the apparatus may be configured to operate as part of thePrivate SAS controller for operation as part of a mobile networkoperator (MNO) domain that excludes the Public SAS controller.

In Example 24, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium maystore instructions for execution by one or more processors to performoperations for management of shared spectrum by a Private SpectrumAccess System (SAS) controller. The operations may configure the one ormore processors to configure the Private SAS controller to allocate, forsecondary usage for communication by a group of Evolved Node-Bs (eNBs)with one or more User Equipments (UEs), a group of channels included inthe shared spectrum. The operations may further configure the one ormore processors to transmit a spectrum sensing request to the group ofeNBs for interference measurements that include transmitted powers atthe eNBs in the group of channels. The operations may further configurethe one or more processors to transmit, to a Public SAS controller, anaggregate interference level based on the received interferencemeasurements. The operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to refrain from transmission of the received interferencemeasurements to the Public SAS controller.

In Example 25, the subject matter of Example 24, wherein the aggregateinterference level may be transmitted to the Public SAS controller toenable a determination, by the Public SAS controller, of a compliancefor the communication by the group of eNBs, the compliance based atleast partly on one or more interference restrictions for the sharedspectrum.

In Example 26, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples24-25, wherein the operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to configure the Private SAS controller to receive, from thePublic SAS controller, a compliance indicator for the communication bythe group of eNBs. The operations may further configure the one or moreprocessors to configure the Private SAS controller to, when thecompliance indicator indicates that the communication by the group ofeNBs is not compliant, reallocate the group of channels for thesecondary usage. The allocation of the group of channels may be based ona first mapping between the group of channels and the group of eNBs andthe reallocation of the group of channels may be based on a secondmapping between the group of channels and the group of eNBs.

In Example 27, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples24-26, wherein the shared spectrum may be reserved at least partly forprimary usage by one or more incumbent devices. The operations mayfurther configure the one or more processors to configure the PrivateSAS controller to receive, from the Public SAS controller, an indicatorof an availability of the group of channels for the secondary usage. Theavailability may be based at least partly on an inactivity of theincumbent devices.

In Example 28, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples24-27, wherein the operations may be performed for the management of theshared spectrum by the Private SAS controller operating as part of anSAS hierarchy with the Public SAS controller.

In Example 29, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples24-28, wherein the refraining from transmission of the receivedinterference measurements to the Public SAS controller may be to enablean obfuscation of the interference measurements from the Public SAScontroller.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for an Evolved Node-B (eNB), theapparatus comprising interface circuitry and hardware processingcircuitry, the hardware processing circuitry to configure the interfacecircuitry to: receive, from a Private Spectrum Access System (SAS)controller, a first configuration message that allocates, to the eNB, afirst channel included in shared spectrum reserved for primary usage byan incumbent device, the first configuration message indicating a firsttransmit power to be used, by the eNB, for transmissions on the firstchannel; receive, from the Private SAS controller, a request that theeNB determine a system performance measurement; send, to the Private SAScontroller, the system performance measurement based on a communicationbetween the eNB and a User Equipment (UE); and receive, from the PrivateSAS controller, a second configuration message that includes a spectrumusage indicator for usage of the first channel by the eNB, wherein whenthe spectrum usage indicator indicates that the eNB is to refrain fromusage of the first channel, the second configuration message allocates,to the eNB, a second channel included in the shared spectrum and furtherindicates a second transmit power to be used, by the eNB, fortransmissions on the second channel.
 2. The apparatus according to claim1, wherein the spectrum usage indicator indicates either that the eNB isto refrain from usage of the first channel or that the eNB is permittedto use the first channel.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, whereinwhen the spectrum usage indicator indicates that the eNB is permitted touse the first channel, the second configuration message further includesa transmission power limit for the usage of the first channel and/or ageographic area in which the usage of the first channel is permitted. 4.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system performancemeasurement includes an interference measurement based on an outputtransmit power used for a transmission of a data packet, by the eNB, tothe UE.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the apparatusfurther comprises transceiver circuitry, and the hardware processingcircuitry is to configure the transceiver circuitry to transmit the datapacket to the UE.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: thedata packet is a first data packet, the hardware processing circuitry isto further configure the transceiver circuitry to transmit a second datapacket to the UE in the second channel, and the hardware processingcircuitry is to further configure the interface circuitry to send, tothe Private SAS controller, an interference measurement based on atransmit power used for the transmission of the second data packet. 7.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the eNB is configured tooperate as part of a mobile network operator (MNO) domain that includesthe Private SAS controller.
 8. An apparatus of a Private Spectrum AccessSystem (SAS) controller, the apparatus comprising interface circuitryand hardware processing circuitry, the hardware processing circuitry toconfigure the interface circuitry to: receive, from a Public SAScontroller, an indicator of channels that are available for secondaryusage by a group of Evolved Node-Bs (eNBs), the channels included inshared spectrum reserved for primary usage by an incumbent device; senda first configuration message that indicates a first allocation of thechannels to the eNBs for communication with User Equipments (UEs), thefirst configuration message further indicating a first set of transmitpower levels to be used by the eNBs for the communication with the UEsaccording to the first allocation of the channels; receive, from theeNBs, interference measurements for the first allocation; and send asecond configuration message that indicates a second allocation of thechannels to the eNBs for the communication with the UEs, the secondallocation based at least partly on the interference measurements and aninterference threshold determined by the Public SAS controller, thesecond configuration message further indicating a second, different setof transmit power levels to be used by the eNBs for the communicationwith the UEs according to the second allocation of the channels, thesecond set of transmit power levels based at least partly on theinterference measurements and the interference threshold.
 9. Theapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured tooperate as part of the Private SAS controller for operation with thePublic SAS controller as part of an SAS hierarchy to manage the primaryusage and the secondary usage of the shared spectrum.
 10. The apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein: the interference measurements include oneor more output power measurements at the eNBs and/or UEs, and thehardware processing circuitry is configured to determine an aggregateinterference level based on the output power measurements.
 11. Theapparatus according to claim 10, the hardware processing circuitry toconfigure the interface circuitry to: send the aggregate interferencelevel to the Public SAS controller; and refrain from sending the outputpower measurements to the Public SAS controller.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the second allocation is determined, bythe Private SAS controller, in response to a reception, from the PublicSAS controller, of an indicator that the aggregate interference levelexceeds the interference threshold.
 13. The apparatus according to claim11, wherein the refraining from sending the output power measurements tothe Public SAS controller is to enable an obfuscation of theinterference measurements from the Public SAS controller.
 14. Theapparatus according to claim 8, the hardware processing circuitryconfigured to determine the first allocation and the second allocation.15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein for at least one of theeNB s: a first portion of the channels is allocated to the eNB as partof the first allocation, and a second, different portion of the channelsis allocated to the eNB as part of the second allocation.
 16. Theapparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second allocation of thechannels is performed to enable a reduction in interference for thecommunication between the eNBs and the UEs.
 17. The apparatus accordingto claim 8, the hardware processing circuitry configured to: configurethe interface circuitry to receive the interference threshold from thePublic SAS controller; and determine the second allocation of thechannels based at least partly on a comparison between the interferencemeasurements and the interference threshold.
 18. The apparatus accordingto claim 8, the hardware processing circuitry to further configure theinterface circuitry to: receive, from the Public SAS controller, anunavailability indicator for the shared spectrum for the secondaryusage; and send, to the eNBs, a spectrum vacate message that indicatesthat the eNBs are to refrain from usage of the channels for thecommunication with UEs.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, whereinthe spectrum vacate message is sent in response to the reception of theunavailability indicator.
 20. The apparatus according to claim 8,wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as part of the PrivateSAS controller for operation as part of a mobile network operator (MNO)domain that excludes the Public SAS controller.
 21. A computer-readablestorage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or moreprocessors to perform operations for management of shared spectrum by aPrivate Spectrum Access System (SAS) controller, the operations toconfigure the one or more processors to configure the Private SAScontroller to: allocate, for secondary usage for communication by agroup of Evolved Node-Bs (eNBs) with one or more User Equipments (UEs),a group of channels included in the shared spectrum; transmit a spectrumsensing request to the group of eNBs for interference measurements thatinclude transmitted powers at the eNBs in the group of channels;transmit, to a Public SAS controller, an aggregate interference levelbased on the received interference measurements; and refrain fromtransmission of the received interference measurements to the Public SAScontroller, wherein the aggregate interference level is transmitted tothe Public SAS controller to enable a determination, by the Public SAScontroller, of a compliance for the communication by the group of eNBs,the compliance based at least partly on one or more interferencerestrictions for the shared spectrum, and wherein the one or moreprocessors are to further configure the Private SAS controller to:receive, from the Public SAS controller, a compliance indicator for thecommunication by the group of eNBs, and reallocate the group of channelsfor the secondary usage when the compliance indicator indicates that thecommunication by the group of eNBs is not compliant, wherein theallocation of the group of channels is based on a first mapping betweenthe group of channels and the group of eNBs and the reallocation of thegroup of channels is based on a second mapping between the group ofchannels and the group of eNBs.
 22. The computer-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 21, wherein: the shared spectrum is reserved at leastpartly for primary usage by one or more incumbent devices, theoperations further configure the one or more processors to configure thePrivate SAS controller to receive, from the Public SAS controller, anindicator of an availability of the group of channels for the secondaryusage, and the availability is based at least partly on an inactivity ofthe incumbent devices.
 23. The computer-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 22, wherein the operations are performed for themanagement of the shared spectrum by the Private SAS controlleroperating as part of an SAS hierarchy with the Public SAS controller.24. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, whereinthe refraining from transmission of the received interferencemeasurements to the Public SAS controller is to enable an obfuscation ofthe interference measurements from the Public SAS controller.